plaugher

01 01 Dove Ellis - Heaven Has No Wings (8) 02 04 Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl (11) 03 06 Hatchie - Carousel (8) 04 03 Robyn - Dopamine (13) 05 07 Ratboys - What's Right? (9) 06 02 Hatchie - Sage (13) 07 09 Sam Fender - The Treadmill (7) 08 10 Yumi Zouma - 95 (8) 09 11 Peter Gabriel - Been Undone (5) 10 05 Sam Fender - I'm Always on Stage (10) 11 17 Robyn - Talk To Me (4) 12 15 The Thermals - In the Night Sky (6) 13 18 Arlo Parks - 2Sided (3) 14 16 Father John Misty - The Old Law (4) 15 08 Melody's Echo Chamber - The House That Doesn't Exist (9) 16 25 Snail Mail - Deep End (2) 17 13 The Lemon Twigs - I've Got a Broken Heart (7) 18 24 Courtney Barnett (w/Waxahatchee) - Site Unseen (2) 19 23 Dry Cleaning - Hit My Head All Day (3) 20 22 Cate Le Bon (w/St Vincent) - Always the Same (3) 21 14 Hayley Williams - Parachute (21) 22 12 The Belair Lip Bombs - Another World (13) 23 27 Jose Gonzalez - Against the Dying of the Light (2) 24 19 Hudson Freeman - If You Know Me (7) 25 NE Ratboys - The World, So Madly (1) 26 29 Shaking Hand - Mantras (2) 27 NE The Cribs - Never the Same (1) 28 20 Voxtrot - Fighting Back (5) 29 NE Cannons - Starlight (1) 30 21 Spiritual Cramp (w/Sharon Van Etten) - You've Got My Number (15)

01 02 Dry Cleaning - Secret Love 02 06 Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine 03 01 Dove Ellis - Blizzard 04 08 Shaking Hand - Shaking Hand 05 05 Hatchie - Liquorice 06 04 Olivia Dean - The Art of Living 07 03 Blood Orange - Essex Honey 08 NE Yumi Zouma - No Love Lost to Kindness 09 09 Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party 10 10 Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place 11 NE Joyce Manor - I Used to Go to This Bar 12 07 Sleaford Mods - The Demise of Planet X 13 13 Wednesday - Bleeds 14 15 Elias Ronnenfelt - Speak Daggers 15 11 Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded 16 NE Softcult - When a Flower Doesn't Grow 17 12 Florence + the Machine - Everybody Scream 18 14 Just Mustard - WE WERE JUST HERE 19 20 Big Thief - Double Infinity 20 NE Whitelands - Sunlight Echoes

Great to see deary crack the chart! I've liked everything I've heard from them so far.

01 01 Dove Ellis - Blizzard 02 02 Dry Cleaning - Secret Love 03 05 Blood Orange - Essex Honey 04 04 Olivia Dean - The Art of Living 05 03 Hatchie - Liquorice 06 16 Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine 07 09 Sleaford Mods - The Demise of Planet X 08 NE Shaking Hand - Shaking Hand 09 07 Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party 10 08 Water From Your Eyes - Its a Beautiful Place 11 06 Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded 12 10 Florence + the Machine - Everybody Scream 13 15 Wednesday - Bleeds 14 12 Just Mustard - WE WERE JUST HERE 15 18 Elias Ronnenfelt - Speak Daggers 17 11 Sudan Archives - The BPM 18 14 Alison Goldfrapp - Flux 19 17 Spiritual Cramp - RUDE 20 19 Big Thief - Double Infinity

01 03 Dove Ellis - Heaven Has No Wings (7) 02 01 Hatchie - Sage (12) 03 02 Robyn - Dopamine (12) 04 05 Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl (10) 05 06 Sam Fender - I'm Always on Stage (9) 06 08 Hatchie - Carousel (7) 07 10 Ratboys - What's Right? (8) 08 07 Melody's Echo Chamber - The House That Doesn't Exist (8) 09 11 Sam Fender - The Treadmill (6) 10 12 Yumi Zouma - 95 (7) 11 13 Peter Gabriel - Been Undone (4) 12 04 The Belair Lip Bombs - Another World (12) 13 14 The Lemon Twigs - I've Got A Broken Heart (6) 14 09 Hayley Williams - Parachute (20) 15 18 The Thermals - In the Night Sky (5) 16 20 Father John Misty - The Old Law (3) 17 23 Robyn - Talk To Me (3) 18 24 Arlo Parks - 2Sided (2) 19 15 Hudson Freeman - If You Know Me (6) 20 22 Voxtrot - Fighting Back (4) 21 17 Spiritual Cramp (w/Sharon Van Etten) - You've Got My Number (14) 22 28 Cate Le Bon (w/St Vincent) - Always the Same (2) 23 30 Dry Cleaning - Hit My Head All Day (2) 24 NE Courtney Barnett (w/Waxahatchee) - Site Unseen (1) 25 NE Snail Mail - Deep End (1) 26 16 Florence + the Machine - Sympathy Magic (13) 27 NE Jose Gonzalez - Against the Dying of the Light (1) 28 19 Silversun Pickups New Wave (5) 29 NE Shaking Hand - Mantras (1) 30 21 Del Water Gap - Small Town Joan of Arc (13)

01 01 Dove Ellis - Blizzard 02 17 Dry Cleaning - Secret Love 03 02 Hatchie - Liquorice 04 04 Olivia Dean - The Art of Living 05 05 Blood Orange - Essex Honey 06 03 Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded 07 06 Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party 08 08 Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place 09 NE Sleaford Mods - The Demise of Planet X 10 07 Florence + the Machine - Everybody Scream 11 10 Sudan Archives - The BPM 12 11 Just Mustard - WE WERE JUST HERE 13 09 The Belair Lip Bombs - Again 14 13 Alison Goldfrapp - Flux 15 12 Wednesday - Bleeds 16 NE Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine 17 15 Spiritual Cramp - RUDE 18 NE Elias Ronnenfelt - Speak Daggers 19 18 Big Thief - Double Infinity 20 19 crushed - No Scope

01 01 Hatchie - Sage (11) 02 02 Robyn - Dopamine (11) 03 05 Dove Ellis - Heaven Has No Wings (6) 04 03 The Belair Lip Bombs - Another World (11) 05 07 Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl (9) 06 08 Sam Fender - I'm Always On Stage (8) 07 09 Melody's Echo Chamber - The House That Doesn't Exist (7) 08 10 Hatchie - Carousel (6) 09 04 Hayley Williams - Parachute (19) 10 12 Ratboys - What's Right? (7) 11 16 Sam Fender - The Treadmill (5) 12 14 Yumi Zouma - 95 (6) 13 18 Peter Gabriel - Been Undone (3) 14 15 The Lemon Twigs - I've Got a Broken Heart (5) 15 17 Hudson Freeman - If You Know Me (5) 16 06 Florence + the Machine - Sympathy Magic (12) 17 13 Spiritual Cramp (w/Sharon Van Etten) - You've Got My Number (13) 18 21 The Thermals - In the Night Sky (4) 19 20 Silversun Pickups - New Wave (4) 20 24 Father John Misty - The Old Law (2) 21 11 Del Water Gap - Small Town Joan of Arc (12) 22 23 Voxtrot - Fighting Back 3) 23 28 Robyn - Talk To Me (2) 24 NE Arlo Parks - 2Sided (1) 25 26 JOSEPH - Blindspot (3) 26 19 Magdalena Bay - Second Sleep (17) 27 22 Florence + the Machine - One of the Greats (18) 28 NE Cate Le Bon (w/St Vincent) - Always the Same (1) 29 30 Buck Meek - Gasoline (2) 30 NE Dry Cleaning - Hit My Head All Day (1)

01 02 Hatchie - Sage (10) 02 01 Robyn - Dopamine (10) 03 05 The Belair Lip Bombs - Another World (10) 04 03 Hayley Williams - Parachute (18) 05 10 Dove Ellis - Heaven Has No Wings (5) 06 04 Florence + the Machine - Sympathy Magic (11) 07 08 Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl (8) 08 09 Sam Fender - I'm Always On Stage (7) 09 11 Melody's Echo Chamber - The House That Doesn't Exist (6) 10 12 Hatchie - Carousel (5) 11 06 Del Water Gap - Small Town Joan of Arc (11) 12 14 Ratboys - What's Right? (6) 13 07 Spiritual Cramp (w/Sharon Van Etten) - You've Got My Number (12) 14 15 Yumi Zouma - 95 (5) 15 16 The Lemon Twigs - I've Got a Broken Heart (4) 16 18 Sam Fender - The Treadmill (4) 17 21 Hudson Freeman - If You Know Me (4) 18 25 Peter Gabriel - Been Undone (2) 19 13 Magdalena Bay - Second Sleep (16) 20 24 Silversun Pickups - New Wave (3) 21 23 The Thermals - In the Night Sky (3) 22 20 Florence + the Machine - One of the Greats (17) 23 28 Voxtrot - Fighting Back (2) 24 NE Father John Misty - The Old Law (1) 25 17 Anna of the North - No One Knows You Better (9) 26 30 JOSEPH - Blindspot (2) 27 19 Phantogram - Earthshaker (13) 28 NE Robyn - Talk To Me (1) 29 22 Magdalena Bay - This Is the World (I Made It For You) (8) 30 NE Buck Meek - Gasoline (1)

01 01 Dove Ellis - Blizzard 02 02 Hatchie - Liquorice 03 03 Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded 04 05 Olivia Dean - The Art of Living 05 13 Blood Orange - Essex Honey 06 04 Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party 07 07 Florence + the Machine - Everybody Scream 08 08 Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place 09 12 The Belair Lip Bombs - Again 10 14 Sudan Archives - The BPM 11 06 Just Mustard - WE WERE UST HERE 12 10 Wednesday - Bleeds 13 16 Alison Goldfrapp - Flux 14 15 Rocket - R Is For Rocket 15 11 Spiritual Cramp - RUDE 16 09 Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover - What Of Our Nature 17 NE Dry Cleaning - Secret Love 18 17 Big Thief - Double Infinity 19 18 crushed - No Scope 20 20 Westerman - A Jackal's Wedding

01 01 Robyn - Dopamine (9) 02 03 Hatchie - Sage (9) 03 02 Hayley Williams - Parachute (17) 04 05 Florence + the Machine - Sympathy Magic (10) 05 07 The Belair Lip Bombs - Another World (9) 06 06 Del Water Gap - Small Town Joan of Arc (10) 07 04 Spiritual Cramp (w/Sharon Van Etten) - You've Got My Number (11) 08 09 Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl (7) 09 11 Sam Fender - I'm Always On Stage (6) 10 12 Dove Ellis - Heaven Has No Wings (4) 11 13 Melody's Echo Chamber - The House That Doesn't Exist (5) 12 16 Hatchie - Carousel (4) 13 08 Magdalena Bay - Second Sleep (15) 14 17 Ratboys - What's Right? (5) 15 18 Yumi Zouma - 95 (4) 16 20 The Lemon Twigs - I've Got a Broken Heart (3) 17 10 Anna of the North - No One Knows You Better () 18 22 Sam Fender - The Treadmill (3) 19 15 Phantogram - Earthshaker (12) 20 19 Florence + the Machine - One of the Greats (16) 21 25 Hudson Freeman - If You Know Me (3) 22 14 Magdalena Bay - This Is the World (I Made It For You) (7) 23 26 The Thermal - In the Night Sky (2) 24 29 Silversun Pickups New Wave (2) 25 NE Peter Gabriel - Been Undone (1) 26 28 Katie Schecter - Run River Run (2) 27 21 Courtney Barnett - Stay In Your Lane (12) 28 NE Voxtrot - Fighting Back (1) 29 23 Gift - Shadow Stealer (7) 30 NE JOSEPH - Blindspot (1)

01 01 Dove Ellis - Blizzard 02 02 Hatchie - Liquorice 03 04 Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded 04 03 Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party 05 09 Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving 06 05 Just Mustard - WE WERE JUST HERE 07 08 Florence + the Machine - Everybody Scream 08 14 Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place 09 06 Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover - What Of Our Nature 10 10 Wednesday - Bleeds 11 07 Spiritual Cramp - RUDE 12 17 The Belair Lip Bombs - Again 13 NE Blood Orange - Essex Honey 14 19 Sudan Archives - The BPM 15 13 Rocket - R Is For Rocket 16 18 Alison Goldfrapp Flux 17 15 Big Thief - Double Infinity 18 16 crushed - NO Scope 19 12 Nossiennes Water From the Sun 20 20 Westerman - A Jackal's Wedding

#30: Olivia Dean "Man I Need" The Art of Loving Favourite moments: There is such warmth and authenticity in her voice and delivery. The chorus is just dynamite, and akin to a neo-Whitney. Simple lyrics. Delivery of "I kinda like it when you call me wonderful" just fills me with joy. I can't wait to hear more. #29: Hatchie "Lose It Again" Liquorice Favourite moments: Hooked from the initial bar. Oozes warmth. Sounds like it should be the lead single of 'Heaven or Las Vegas, pt. 2'. What a revelation. I'm so happy she continues to reinvent herself while staying close to her dreampop roots. The lead-in to the chorus is what summer sounds like to me, two minutes before sundown. That bending guitar bit after the first chorus, oh man. One of my favourite albums of the year and this is a cornerstone. #28: Turnstile "NEVER ENOUGH" NEVER ENOUGH Favourite moments: I'm not going to say this album was a disappointment, but I will say that what drew me in was the raw unbridled intensity. There isn't as much of that on this album, but there are flashes of earlier work on this song, the lead single. This song is just an aural symphony on good headphones. This should be utterly belted in a echoey hangar. Guitars kicking in a ~1:10 give me life. Solo around 2:15 coupled with those crystaline synths is magnificent. Not as much passion from Brandon's vocals on this song as on others, but that's ok. Musically dynamic. I remember being so excited to find out what was coming after that transitional outro. #27: Stereolab "Aerial Troubles" Instant Holograms on Metal Film Favourite moments: My goodness, what a surprise to hear a new Stereolab album in this the year of our lord 2025. They never missed a beat. Intro ropes you in, and those synths at 0:25 immediately transport back to their late-90s heyday. Delicate vocals, always interesting instrumentation. Timeless sound, as fresh today as when they initially emerged. #26: Dope Lemon "Golden Wolf" Golden Wolf Favourite moments: I just adore Angus Stone's works. His Dope Lemon moniker has been the soundtrack of many hazy fuzzy evenings with my partner, but this is a change back to his poppier roots. "Be it this life... or the next one", transitioning into the earlier 2010s "Oooh ooh ooh" sequence is just magical and drips nostalgia for me. Beautiful high point to an up-and-down album. 50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar" 49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming" 48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New" 47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable" 46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money" 45 -- My Morning Jacket - "Time Waited" 44 -- Florence + the Machine - "Everybody Scream" 43 -- Japanese Breakfast - "Mega Circuit" 42 -- Sam Fender - "Tyrants" 41 -- Suki Waterhouse - "Dream Woman" 40 -- Alison Goldfrapp - "Sound & Light" 39 -- Wednesday - "Townies" 38 -- Wunderhorse - "The Rope" 37 -- Men I Trust - "I Come With Mud" 36 -- Sea Lemon - "Stay" 35 -- Royel Otis - "moody" 34 -- Bartees Strange - "Wants Needs" 33 -- Racing Mount Pleasant - "Racing Mount Pleasant" 32 -- Big Thief - "Incomprehensible" 31 -- Greet Death - "Country GIrl" 30 -- Olivia Dean - "Man I Need" 29 -- Hatchie - "Lose It Again" 28 -- Turnstile - "NEVER ENOUGH" 27 -- Stereolab - "Aerial Troubles" 26 -- Dope Lemon - "Golden Wolf"

01 03 Robyn - Dopamine (8) 02 01 Hayley Williams - Parachute (16) 03 04 Hatchie - Sage (8) 04 02 Spiritual Cramp (w/Sharon Van Etten) - You've Got My Number (10) 05 06 Florence + the Machine - Sympathy Magic (9) 06 07 Del Water Gap - Small Town Joan of Arc (9) 07 09 The Belair Lip Bombs - Another World (8) 08 05 Magdalena Bay - Second Sleep (14) 09 12 Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl (6) 10 11 Anna of the North - No One Knows You Better (7) 11 13 Sam Fender - I'm Always On Stage (5) 12 17 Dove Ellis - Heaven Has No Wings (3) 13 16 Melody's Echo Chamber - The House That Doesn't Exist (4) 14 08 Magdalena Bay - This Is the World (I Made It For You) (6) 15 10 Phantogram - Earthshaker (11) 16 21 Hatchie - Carousel (3) 17 20 Ratboys - What's Right? (4) 18 23 Yumi Zouma - 95 (3) 19 15 Florence + the Machine - One of the Greats (15) 20 26 The Lemon Twigs - I've Got a Broken Heart (2) 21 14 Courtney Barnett - Stay In Your Lane (11) 22 30 Sam Fender - The Treadmill (2) 23 18 Gift - Shadow Stealer (6) 24 22 Meltt - In Your Arms (4) 25 29 Hudson Freeman - If You Know Me (2) 26 NE The Thermals - In the Night Sky (1) 27 19 Snocaps - Heathcliff (8) 28 NE Katie Schecter - Run River Run (1) 29 NE Silversun Pickups - New Wave (1) 30 24 Wednesday - Townies (14)

01 01 Dove Ellis - Blizzard 02 02 Hatchie - Liquorice 03 03 Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party 04 05 Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded 05 06 Just Mustard - WE WERE JUST HERE 06 08 Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover - What Of Our Nature 07 04 Spiritual Cramp - RUDE 08 07 Florence + the Machine - Everybody Scream 09 09 Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving 10 10 Wednesday - Bleeds 11 12 This Is Lorelei - Holo Boy 12 17 Nossiennes Water rom the Sun 13 11 Rocket - R Is For Rocket 14 19 Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place 15 15 Big Thief - Double Infinity 16 16 crushed - No Scope 17 RE The Belair Lip Bombs - Again 18 18 Alison Goldfrapp - Flux 19 NE Sudan Archives - The BPM 20 14 Westerman - A Jackal's Wedding

Gotten a little lax; let's pick this up again. #35: Royel Otis "moody" hickey Favourite moments: I just adore their harmonies; catchy chorus. That delightful noodle during the bridgeDigging the 90s slacker ethos of their summery sound. #34: Bartees Strange "Wants Needs" Horror Favourite moments: He often seems to go 110% -- sometimes to the detriment -- but the passion and drive of the chorus just kills, with the "I NEEEEEEEEED YOU TO MYSELF". "How you feeling? / F*cking fantastic". The bridge change of pace allows the song time to breathe as well. Great solo in the outro. Debated "Backseat Banton" in this place. Some quality songs on this album. #33: Racing Mount Pleasant "Racing Mount Pleasant" Racing Mount Pleasant Favourite moments: Just gorgeous orchestration. Love the sludgy guitar at the start, leading into the horns. The build into the return of the horns at 1:58 is simply sublime, coupled with silence and "I DON'T KNOW THE REASON WHY" at 2:20 is a dynamite sequence. Compared with Black Country, New Road, whom I've not felt in the slightest, but I really enjoy this album. I guess I should revisit with a more open mind. #32: Big Thief "Incomprehensible" Double Infinity Favourite moments: No better songwriter at the moment in my mind than Adrianne Lenker; no more emotionally powerful frontperson either. BUT..... I sometimes find them a little too restrained at times. I would love to see them build and build and build into a cacophony occasionally, rather than rising and maintaining at 75% (if that makes any sense). Give me a good roadtrip song any day of the week. "So let gravity be my sculptor, let the wind do my hair / Let me dance in front of people without a care / Let me be naked alone with nobody there" is such a gorgeous sequence. #31: Greet Death "Country Girl Die in Love Favourite moments; Those Cure-esque shoegazey guitar parts at the beginning; nostalgic echoey vocals. That solo at 3:50 feeding into an eventual hazy jam to close the song is everything. This entire album is just staggeringly beautiful and riddled with melancholy and wistfulness. One of my favourites of the year. One review I encountered describe the album thusly: "Die in Love feels like sharing a crisp autumn morning joint and coffee on the porch with the person you love the most while the sunrise is soundtracked by chirping birds and the bustle of the city waking up around you." If that isn't living, folks, I don't know what to tell you. 50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar" 49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming" 48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New" 47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable" 46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money" 45 -- My Morning Jacket - "Time Waited" 44 -- Florence + the Machine - "Everybody Scream" 43 -- Japanese Breakfast - "Mega Circuit" 42 -- Sam Fender - "Tyrants" 41 -- Suki Waterhouse - "Dream Woman" 40 -- Alison Goldfrapp - "Sound & Light" 39 -- Wednesday - "Townies" 38 -- Wunderhorse - "The Rope" 37 -- Men I Trust - "I Come With Mud" 36 -- Sea Lemon - "Stay" 35 -- Royel Otis - "moody" 34 -- Bartees Strange - "Wants Needs" 33 -- Racing Mount Pleasant - "Racing Mount Pleasant" 32 -- Big Thief - "Incomprehensible" 31 -- Greet Death - "Country GIrl"

01 02 Hayley Williams - Parachute (15) 02 01 Spiritual Cramp (w/Sharon Van Etten) - You've Got My Number (9) 03 04 Robyn - Dopamine (6) 04 05 Hatchie - Sage (7) 05 03 Magdalena Bay - Second Sleep (13) 06 07 Florence + the Machine - Sympathy Magic (8) 07 08 Del Water Gap - Small Town Joan of Arc (8) 08 10 Magdalena Bay - This Is the World (I Made It For You) (5) 09 11 The Belair Lip Bombs - Another World (7) 10 06 Phantogram - Earthshaker (10) 11 14 Anna of the North - No One Knows You Better (6) 12 16 Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl (5) 13 18 Sam Fender - I'm Always On Stage (4) 14 09 Courtney Barnett - Stay in Your Lane (10) 15 12 Florence + the Machine - One of the Greats (14) 16 22 Melody's Echo Chamber - The House That Doesn't Exist (3) 17 25 Dove Ellis - Heaven Has No Wings (2) 18 19 Gift - Shadow Stealer (5) 19 13 Snocaps - Heathcliff (7) 20 24 Ratboys - What's Right? (3) 21 29 Hatchie - Carousel (2) 22 23 Meltt - In Your Arms (3) 23 27 Yumi Zouma - 95 (2) 24 17 Wednesday - Townies 913) 25 15 Hatchie - Only One Laughing (14) 26 NE The Lemon Twigs - I've Got a Broken Heart (1) 27 21 Hatchie - Lose It Again (16) 28 20 Keaton Henson - Operator (5) 29 NE Hudson Freeman - If You Know Me (1) 30 NE Sam Fender - The Treadmill (1)

01 05 Dove Ellis - Blizzard 02 01 Hatchie - Liquorice 03 02 Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party 04 04 Spiritual Cramp - RUDE 05 06 Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded 06 07 Just Mustard - WE WERE JUST HERE 07 03 Florence + the Machine - Everybody Scream 08 08 Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover - What Of Our Nature 09 09 Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving 10 10 Wednesday - Bleeds 11 12 Rocket - R Is For Rocket 12 14 This Is Lorelei - Holo Boy 13 15 M83 - Resurrection (OST) 14 13 Westerman - A Jackal's Wedding 15 11 Big Thief - Double Infinity 16 17 crushed - NO Scope 17 NE Nossiennes - Water from the Sun 18 18 Alison Goldfrapp - Flux 19 RE Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place 20 16 Keaton Henson - Parader

#40 Alison Goldfrapp "Sound & Light" Flux favourite moments: absolutely delicious chorus synth; 1:43 just bringing the frisson... Ethereal, dreamy synth-pop. Her music exudes summer feels and makes me want to flail. #39: Wednesday "Townies" Bleeds favourite moments: “I never yelled at you about it because you die-ie-ie-ie-IE-IED" delivery is just phenomenal. 2:30 tempo change sublime. When their previous album came out, and it received such critical acclaim, I tried with Wednesday. I really tried, and determined they weren't for me. (Sidebar: Similarly, I've tried with other critical darlings/next big things they've been likened to, namely Black Country New Road and Geese; neither are for me. Don't expect a Geese appearance.) They kept showing up on mixes and playlists and were hard to avoid, and started to grow on me. Then MJ Lenderman's solo album came out, and I was able to connect the dots, revisit the previous record, and appreciate it a bit more. "Bleeds" blew me away and is probably my most listened-to record this year, and "Townies" was one of the high points. Not their last apperance. #38: Wunderhorse "The Rope" [non-album single] favourite moments: the chorus guitar loop; "And I stared right down that barrel / Into the bottom of the world / Don't let go"; the quiet little "f*** off" at the end Just a straightforward rocker, passion and drive. Gravelly, raw vocals supplemented by earnest and emotional lyrics and swirling guitars. An absolute banger of a song that would be a thrill live. #37: Men I Trust "I Come With Mud" Equus Asinus favourite moments: Slide pedal work; delicate vocals I adore how versatile Men I Trust is. Sometimes moody shoegaze-adjacent, sometimes folky, sometimes jazzy. Always interesting. When the slide guitar comes in around 0:40, it's just bliss. Slow drive on a dark night. #36: Sea Lemon "Stay" Diving For A Prize favourite moments: Catchy chorus; gorgeous reverb What a great year for dream pop. This song was an immediate love, so warm and fuzzy, just exuding summer rays. Solid album as well. Blissful, atmospheric song. 50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar" 49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming" 48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New" 47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable" 46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money" 45 -- My Morning Jacket - "Time Waited" 44 -- Florence + the Machine - "Everybody Scream" 43 -- Japanese Breakfast - "Mega Circuit" 42 -- Sam Fender - "Tyrants" 41 -- Suki Waterhouse - "Dream Woman" 40 -- Alison Goldfrapp - "Sound & Light" 39 -- Wednesday - "Townies" 38 -- Wunderhorse - "The Rope" 37 -- Men I Trust - "I Come With Mud" 36 -- Sea Lemon - "Stay"

01 01 Hatchie - Liquorice 02 04 Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party 03 03 Florence + the Machine - Everybody Scream 04 02 Spiritual Cramp - RUDE 05 11 Dove Ellis - Blizzard 06 08 Melody's Echo Chamber - Unclouded 07 10 Just Mustard - WE WERE JUST HERE 08 05 Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover - What Of Our Nature 09 09 Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving 10 06 Wednesday - Bleeds 11 07 Big Thief - Double Infinity 12 12 Rocket - R Is For Rocket 13 14 Westerman - A Jackal's Wedding 14 NE This Is Lorelei - Holo Boy 15 NE M83 - Resurrection (OST) 16 13 Keaton Henson - Parader 17 16 crushed - No Scope 18 18 Alison Goldfrap - Flux 19 19 Sabrina Carpenter - Man's Best Friend 20 15 Nation of Language - Dance Called Memory

01 03 Spiritual Cramp (w/Sharon Van Etten) - You've Got My Number (8) 02 02 Hayley Williams - Parachute (14) 03 01 Magdalena Bay - Second Sleep (12) 04 07 Robyn - Dopamine (5) 05 06 Hatchie - Sage (6) 06 05 Phantogram - Earthshaker (9) 07 09 Florence + the Machine - Sympathy Magic (7) 08 11 Del Water Gap - Small Town Joan of Arc (7) 09 04 Courtney Barnett - Stay In Your Lane (9) 10 14 Magdalena Bay - This Is the World (I Made It For You) (4) 11 13 The Belair Lip Bombs - Another World (6) 12 10 Florence + the Machine - One of the Greats (13) 13 15 Snocaps - Heathcliff (6) 14 17 Anna of the North - No One Knows You Better (5) 15 08 Hatchie - Only One Laughing (13) 16 19 Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl (4) 17 12 Wednesday - Townies (12) 18 20 Sam Fender - I'm Always On Stage (3) 19 23 Gift - Shadow Stealer (4) 20 21 Keaton Henson - Operator (4) 21 16 Hatchie - Lose It Again (15) 22 27 Melody's Echo Chamber - The House That Doesn't Exist (2) 23 25 Meltt - In Your Arms (2) 24 29 Ratboys - What's Right? (2) 25 NE Dove Ellis - Heaven Has No Wings (1) 26 18 Momma - Cross Your Heart (11) 27 NE Yumi Zouma - 95 (1) 28 22 The Twilight Sad - Waiting For the Phone Call (7) 29 NE Hatchie - Carousel (1) 30 24 Francis of Delirium - Little Black Dress (11)

#45: My Morning Jacket "Time Waited" Is favourite moments: that timeless piano intro; powerful vocal delivery during the bridge Just a beautiful offering from Jim James and the jammy lads of My Morning Jacket. About making sure not to miss the little moments of beauty in life as they will pass us by and never return. I think the performance of this song might be too much live. #44: Florence + the Machine "Everybody Scream" Everybody Scream favourite moments: "I dont have to be quiet and i dont have to be kind"; "SCREAMING MY NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMME"; the outro Just when we needed her most, here comes Florence Welch with an absolute banger that begs to be the first song of a set. Full of authority. And oh my god the bone-chilling delivery of that outro harmony. Just a killer song on an album full of killer songs. #43: Japanese Breakfast "Mega Circuit" For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women) favourite moment: Her delivery is always amazing; that simple piano refrain at the beginning; driving drums Always a welcome time for Michelle Zauner to make a return. While others lamented the new album not picking up the mantle from 'Jubilee', I saw it picking up on the parts that I didn't like from 'Jubilee', though this is reminiscent of a 'Soft Sounds...' b-side and right in my wheelhouse. A critique on the "[decline of] contemporary masculinity [...and the] absence of positive role models" contributing to our, well, present state. #42: Sam Fender "Tyrants" People Watching (b-side to deluxe version) favourite moments: harmony in the chorus; that first guitar lick and that solo in the bridge is just delicious You know from the first note that it's going to be another straight ahead rocker. Sam's a true talent, the pairing with Adam Granduciel is just what the doctor ordered for me. When your non-album tracks are this strong... While released as a b-side on vinyl last year, I'm counting it for this year given its presence on deluxe version of 'People Watching'. (That one's on me, I'm not changing its placement. :P) #41: Suki Waterhouse "Dream Woman" Memoir of a Sparklemuffin (b-side to the deluxe edition) favourite moments: menacing hazy nature; the waviness of the "I don't ever wanna feel another f'n way" delivey What a monster of a song. Magnificently lush, kinda menacing, and generally hypnotic. If this is the route she's going, doing things Lana isn't against a slightly shoegazey backdrop, then I'm all for it. 50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar" 49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming" 48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New" 47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable" 46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money" 45 -- My Morning Jacket - "Time Waited" 44 -- Florence + the Machine - "Everybody Scream" 43 -- Japanese Breakfast - "Mega Circuit" 42 -- Sam Fender - "Tyrants" 41 -- Suki Waterhouse - "Dream Woman"

Glad to see "People Watching" getting its laurels. It's 100% Brandon Flowers fronting The War on Drugs performing the Springsteen songbook, in the best possible ways. Just a powerhouse song.

Review of the new album, "Arctic Moon", which was released in September: https://theindyreview.com/2025/09/11/album-review-chameleons-arctic-moon/ They'd released a couple of one-offs in 2024 which appear on the album ("Where Are You?", which was a bit of a deviation from their norm, and I think one other). "Saviors Are A Dangerous Thing" and "Lady Strange" definitely hearken back to their early roots. Worth a listen for sure, but a step below their mid-80s peak.

There's no point in wasting any more time; let's get the countdown started! Will add standout moments, but leave commentary to a minimum. #50: Yumi Zouma: "Bashville on the Sugar" non-album single Favourite moments: that synthy guitar sound at 1:00 (and passim throughout), my god. Allegedly about public transport in New York, you can feel a constant state of movement with the world rushing past. Perpetual chart darlings on my end, Yumi Zouma are constantly reinventing themselves, always seemingly a couple years ahead of the norm, but never really breaking through. Not their last appearance. #49: Witch Post "Dreaming" Beast (EP): favourite moments: Intro guitar sound; pre-chorus duet, line three with Alaska's falsetto I'm a sucker for male/female duets against an indie backdrop. Reminiscent of Sunflower Bean's work. Swirling fuzzy guitars, sweet lyrics. Reminds me of walking or driving at twilight. #48: Tunde Adebimpe "Somebody New" Thee Black Boltz favourite moments: delivery on the lines "Is there nothing in the world that we can say a-bout this?" and "How can we feed this love?" I was never much of a TV On The Radio fan, so this track catching my attention was a surprise. I'd actually given it a few weeks before giving it a try, and it's just a beautiful earworm with a catchy chorus. Lovely album, glad I gave it a chance. Gotta love the unhinged "in the upside-down version of Soul Train" nature of the video. #47: Alexandra Savior "Unforgivable" Beneath the Lilypad favourite moments: horns in the chorus One of my favourite under-the-radar songstresses, she's delivering Angel Olsen by way of Debbie Reynolds on this, the first song on 'Beneath the Lilypad'. Glorious arrangements, just majestic stuff. Her entire discography is worth a visit. #46: Smerz "You got time and I got money" Big city life favourite moments: right from the jump, "Put your hands around my body" delivery; "Baby, can I see you naked? Even though I love how you dress, yeah" is up there for the best lines of the year; odd theremin sound ~2:35-2:50 I resisted checking out the album because the band name sounded dumb. What a mistake, shan't make that again. Haven't heard much like this release this year. Late night mellow jam. Gorgeous song, lovely album. 50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar" 49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming" 48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New" 47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable" 46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money"

Fantastic track, and what immediately attracted me to The Chameleons sound. Quite likely my most listened to song over the years. The atmosphere Burgess & Co are able to create on 'Script of the Bridge' is unparalleled. "A Person Isn't Safe Anywhere These Days" is one of the two or three top songs on that album. The delivery at ~2:06 and the drum change-up before that "you can hear a pindrop" outro are just sublime. Glad to hear there are still people campaigning for them. :) I was glad to see that they were able to rekindle hints of that magic on their surprise release from earlier this year.